Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-08-26
Discovering a Gasoline Well


1t is not very often that the peo-
pie of the Western frontier country
are taken in by swindlers, but When
they are they go in all over. The
great real estate bOOms in the east
ern part of the State have had their
effect upon the settlers, and almost
every man who owns piece OF land
feels that it is worth a good deal
more to-day than it was six weeks
ago. At first the reports from the
East we're received with a mild sort
of satisfaction, and confidence
that what was going on in Wichita
would soon be repeated here on the
western line of the State. No one
thought it would come Immediately,
but all believed that it would come.
So there was a general stitfening
of prices and a patient determina-
ton to wait and see what the iu-
ture would bring forth. The peo-
pie of Greeleyville, Kan, were in
this frame of mind when several
we'll dressed strangers arrived IN
town about two weeks ago and be-
gan to inquire about the value OF
certain real estate. Nothing serl-
Gus was suspected at first, but in
the course of few days it was
/ seen that they meant business
jim Bones's farm, south of town,
which might have been had a
month ago for 5000, was sold to
the strangers for 81 1900 and they
paid $500 of it down. Prices went
up right away, and when Jim tried
to buy another place he found that
he couldn't reach anything within
ten miles of the Jail unless he bor-
rowed money. The day after the
sale the strangers announced that
they had discovered natural gas
on the Bones place, and, sure
enough, that night the skies in that
direction were brilliantly illuminat.
ed. The entire population turned
out to see the sight. Just back OF
the shed which jim had used as a
barn was an iron pipe, and from
the nozzle of it there issued a iar-
ing and spluttering flame. Every
body stood speechless except Jim,
who rayed and swOre, and tried to
pick a fight with one of the visitors.
Other citizens interfered at this
point, and a disturbance was pre-
vented.
@YOu see," said one of the stran-
gers, "we are natural.gas experts
from Pennsylvania. We have been
following this vein all the way from
UniontOwn. Some chaps from
Pittsburgh got in ahead of us at a
point in Ohio where we looked for
l. it, and the same way down near
Terre Haute, Ind. When we locat-
ed it there, we found that we were
on some property that belonged to
minor heir, and we could not get
possession. Then we set out for
the West, for we knew that it would
reappear somewhere out here
There were symptoms in Missouri,
and better prospects yet at Larned,
but this is more like 1t. The thing
don't work just right yet, though.
We will have to 60 down further.
Some of these wells are five miles
deep. You can imagine what is
down below you here when | tell
you that this vein has been tapped
at a depth OF only forty feet. l
haven't any doubt that at a fair
depth you can 1nd gas enough here
to illuminate the continent"
The next day the strangers call
ed a town meeting and announced
their intention of organizing a
stock company for the purpose of
developing the vein. They had
many other enterprises on hand,
and as they would be away much
of the time they would like to have
some interested parties on the
ground. They would want a su-
perintendent at a good salary, and
they would have to have an office
where they could mature plans to
distribute the gas all over Western
Kansas and Eastern Colorado. Mr..
Kenyon, the banker, was selected
superintendent at a salary of 81, 900
ayear, and fneroOm in his building
was rented as an Office. 1t was in
this place that the stock was sub
scribed for. The terms we're made
easy enough to suit almost any
body. The capital stock was to be
s100, 900, and any man or woman
who put up ten per cent. was en-
titled to what was wanted. Even
the preacher came in for a thou
sand dollars, his parishiOners put
ting up the margin for him, on the
ground that when the Lords boun-
ty had been literally bestowed up
on the town it would not be right
to permit His chief servant to suffer
through his poverty. The banker
also advanced considerable money
for the weak sisters who had no
ready money, taking mortgages on
their farms or stock. In this way
SAG, 900 worth of stock was taken
in one day. The discoverers pos
itively refused to sell more than